In recent years, since the advent of automatic drive in most types of automotive vehicles, including passenger vehicles as well as trucks and the like, the left leg of the driver is, under most circumstances, totally unnecessary to effect normal driving of the vehicle. Accordingly, the left leg is relatively inactive, while the right leg actuates both the brake pedal as well as the accelerator pedal. Under such circumstances, the right leg experiences at least a limited amount of exercise during the time the left leg is inactive.
Medical evidence indicates that when persons who are particularly afflicted with circulatory problems maintain any of their limbs inactive for a substantial period of time, the situation becomes more aggravated and sometimes leads to permanent difficulty which results over a period of time in the afflicted limb becoming permanently impaired. From this, it readily can be seen that persons such as salemen, delivery men, truck and bus drivers, taxi drivers, as well as other persons who drive as much as 40,000 or 50,000 or more miles per year in vehicles having automatic drives experience long periods when, for example, their left leg is inactive. If such persons have circulatory problems, and even if they are in normal health, maintaining the left leg inactive for long periods of time can result in the commencement of a problem condition.
Various attempts have been resorted to in the past to minimize such conditions by at least providing means which enable the drivers of vehicles to rest the inactive leg, particularly by providing elevated means supported by the left side of the floor of the vehicle, to the left of the brake pedal, in order that the driver may vary the position of their left leg, for example, between resting directly upon the floor and resting upon the support member. One such example of this is illustrated in U.S. Pat. NO. 3,047,088 to Murrell, dated July 31, 1962. Another type of foot or leg rest which permits limited variation in the position in which the feet are supported is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,113,601, to Caldwell, dated Oct. 13, 1914. It is obvious that this patent was developed for the passengers of the vehicle and long prior to the advent of automatic drives in vehicles and primarily is intended to prevent the jaring and jolting of normal movement of the vehicle, especially over rough roads, from being imparted to the feet of the occupants and to accomplish this, the transverse member upon which the feet rest is at a level very close to the floor and actually comprises a substitute for the floor and the spring means employed solely is for purposes of absorbing shock.
There also are several prior patents which appear to be for use with the leg that normally operates the brake and/or accelerator pedal, these being U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,328,991, to Murdaugh et al., dated Sept. 7, 1943; No. 2,473,947 to Hamstron, dated June 21, 1949, and No. 2,133,443, to Girl, dated Oct. 18, 1936.
Still another adjustable support for the lower part of the leg of an occupant of an automotive vehicle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,525,864, to Hueseman, dated Feb. 10, 1925.
The present invention primarily differs from the prior art referred to above in several major respects, the most important of which is that the present invention provides legexercising means of substantial amplitude and the device also is illustrated in a number of embodiments which are all relatively simple, reasonably inexpensive to manufacture, and are readily installed.